Welcome to the Dunwich Building
by Overlord Kog
Summary: I thought I knew the Wastelands like the back of my hand. But every so often it throws a curveball at you the size of a Super Mutant. This is one such time and I hope it's the last. First fanfic. Oneshot. Rated M for swearing and violence. Please, R&R.


Life has been so...different since leaving that hellhole known as Vault 101. Out here, man, I'm free to do what I please when I please. I don't know why all these damn people bitch so much about the Wasteland. "Its so hard to survive!". "Raiders attacked again last night!". "Super Mutants slaughtered my parents!". Whine. Whine. Whine. If you don't fight to survive, then fuck you. If Raiders attack and you don't pick up a gun, then fuck you. If Super Mutants kill your parents and you don't track the bastards down and make them regret it, then fuck you. You have no right to even be around. But sometimes...just sometimes...the Capital Wasteland throws something...that even I can't handle...

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"An office building all the way out here?" I said to myself as I crested a large craggy slope. It just sat there in the distance about a mile or two off bombed out and charred black like so many other buildings I had seen. Nothing special. Well, maybe it was special. Had to be a reason it was tucked away so deep in the southwest corner of the wasteland. Maybe it was bank before the war? Or a military office? Either way, mine for the picking now. Law of the Wasteland: Finders keepers, loser get their goddamn head blown of with a shotgun.

I trudged down the rocky hill towards my hopefully lucrative target. My mind was still going on about just what this place could be. I'm nothing if not a curious girl. I walked past a few decaying wrecks in the parking lot. Those old cars can certainly be a lifesaver when you're in a pinch. Raiders should really learn that taken cover behind one isn't always smart. I remember having to pick brains outta my hair that day.

I pushed open the main door to the building and took a few tentative steps inside. Places like these draw Raiders and Feral Ghouls, like Bloatflies to a corpse. One needs to be careful. I glanced around and the place was dead. None of the usual Raider...decorations adorned the walls and no Feral Ghouls it seemed. Need to still keep an eye out though. Feral's can be surprisingly tricky zombies when they wanna be. One long dim hallway was all that greeted me though.

Something did catch my eye as soon as I walked in, though. A skeleton. Man, if I had a cap for every blackened, battered, and broken skeleton I've come across in the Wasteland I'd be one rich bitch. However, this skeleton was more valuable then most. He was draped across two ammo crates. Not even five minutes in this place and its already paying off. I popped the crates open and found some energy cells in one, and 5.56mm in the other. I quickly stuffed the ammo away and glanced over to the right. There was what looked like a lounge or some such. Places like that tend to have food and I could use something to eat.

I searched the lounge and found zip. What a bust. I started to leave when something caught my eye. A pile of holotapes buried under some old dinner plates. There were five in total, all marked 'Jamie's Personal Journal". Hmm, look like pretty new holotapes. Maybe I'm not the first person to come here? If I'm not...where's the owner? I push those thoughts aside and decide to listen to the tapes. Might as well, right? Best to start at the beginning.

'_Why the hell would he come all the way out here? Dad's been a little nuts for some time now, but not like this. Leaving me in that crappy old hospital without waking me... without a goddamn flashlight. I made enough selling the meds we scrounged to have kept us both fed at the colony for weeks. Now I'm almost outta rations, my shoes are pretty much destroyed, and I'm still chasing the old coot. By my last reckoning, he was headed south._

Chasing your dad, huh? Yeah, I know what that's like. On to the number 2.

'_Maybe I shouldn't of waited so damn long to start tracking him. Trails gone cold. Gonna wander with these guys awhile. They say they wander the area -- Maybe somebody's seen dad._'

Not the smart guy, eh Jamie? Just wander with a group of people you just met? Fucking idiot. Now for the third one.

'_These guys aren't who I thought they were. Jesus, they killed that family for a sack of rotten vegetables. Getting out of here the next chance I can without catching a bullet._'

Told ya Jaime. Told ya. You're up number 4.

'_Hit a caravan today. Trev didn't see the kid and got popped. I took care of Tawny right then, and put one in Thor before he saw her fall. That earned me a bit of grub from the traders. Even better, they saw dad. he was in pretty rough shape, and still has the goddamn book. Trader says it gave him the creeps. me too. But it's good to know he's still alive. Still headed south._'

Guess you're not so stupid after all Jamie. But what's all this bullshit over a book? Maybe number 5 will have an answer.

'_He must have been trying to trap food here. I recognize his snares. I can make out a building on the horizon. That must be where he headed. If not, at least I get a roof tonight._'

Well, no answer there. Just a whole lot of nothing. My curiosity is starting to get the better of me. Maybe Jamie and dear old dad are here somewhere? The way he talks about this book makes it sound like a rare thing to have. And rare equals money. If they are here and alive...heh, I'll just have to persuade them to give me the book. Time to get deeper into this place then.

I made my way down the debris-strewn hallway carefully. Damn, there's a lot of skeletons here. I mean, I've seen a lot of 'em but this...is a bit much for one place. I came to two doorways a little further down the hall way. One on my left, the other on the right. Its dark as hell in this place but I could make out the left room a bit better then the right, so I went there first. More skeletons and one big chunk of roof missing, but other then that not much. I crept along the left hand wall till I heard an all too familiar sound. Deep, guttural hissing and breathing. Feral Ghouls. Guess I was right to think there were some here. I skulked closer to the sounds and saw two of the zombies squatting there absentmindedly. They haven't seen me yet. Good. Then they'll never see this coming. I drew my laser pistol and carefully aimed at one of the rotting bastards. I squeezed the trigger and the bright fiery bolt of energy shot out and struck it in the head, reducing it to ash in seconds. Its friend hopped to its feet and sniffed the air. Dumbass. I fired again and ashed another of the worthless zombies. I love ashing the fucks. That seemed to be all in this area so I began to look around. Nothing much was here, just some standard desks and file cabinets. Wait a minute. Well looky here, another holotape from Jaime. Wonder what this one says.

'_Don't like the look of this place... don't like the smell. Gives me the creeps. Don't wanna risk a shot at the crows till I know what's in there. Sneaking in tonight._'

I'll admit. This place has definitely got a vibe to it. A none to pleasant one I might add. Can't put my finger on exactly what. But...it's not the same feeling as a Raider base or Feral Ghoul lair. I know those feelings, and this one I got now isn't it. I walked back to the hallway and took the right doorway this time. A trail of dried blood was on the floor to my left and stairs leading up on my right. I followed the blood. It lead to a janitors closet and another skeleton. He was hunched over a table that had been flipped over. Most likely for cover. There was an assault rifle in front of him. Just what the hell went on here? I picked up the assault rifle and checked the magazine. Full clip. This'll come in handy. I headed back and took the stairs up and was practically face-to-face with a Feral. I swore loudly and fired the rifle as quick as I could. The bullets tore the zombies face wide open and it fell to the ground with a wet thud. I hate it when they do that. Wait for you to turn a corner or something like that and BAM. Right in your face. Oh well, he's dead and I'm not. I win.

I passed by an empty bathroom as I stuck close to the walls and made my down another hallway on my left. This place is crawling with Feral Ghouls. I can spot at least four of the zombies in a huge desk-and-debris-littered room with a gigantic hole in the floor. I'll have to be quick here. The assault rifle will give off to much noise. Time for my trusty laser pistol. I secure the rifle over my back and upholstered my laser pistol. Aim carefully now... I fire off a quick succession of rounds from my spot at the doorway and drop three without a hitch. All three ashed on the spot. The last shot went wide and only grazed the last one, which pissed it off big time. It screeched in a rage and charged towards me. Shit, I needed to reload. I popped out the cells and slammed the new ones in place just as the Feral was right on top of me. It tackled me hard to the ground and tried to go for the kill-bite. It was gonna rip out my damn jugular at this rate. I bashed the laser pistol against the side of its face, which sent it reeling. I took that split second and jammed the pistol in the Feral's rotting, drooling mouth. I pulled the trigger and ashed it immediately. I sat there for a few seconds, panting and wiping the ash from myself before I finally got back to my feet. I explored the rest of the huge room and found little of interest. Just more desks and filing cabinets. I decided to jump down the large hole and see what I could find down there. There wasn't much. Just two doors. One lead to a set of stairs that just lead me straight back up. The other, now that had something in it.

I pushed open the door and found blood smeared across the walls, the floor, everything. Another nearby skeleton was most likely the victim. On a desk was another holotape. This makes number 7.

'_The Raiders told spook stories about zombies in the ruins. Never saw anything like that where I come from, but Lord help me, they're real. Not quite what Thor said, but close. These things look...I think they really used to be people._'

Yeah... They used to be people, but not anymore. Feral Ghouls are some of the nastiest things you can come across in the Wastelands. Just kill 'em if you see one. You're putting them out of their misery. I glanced back at the skeleton one last time before going through the only door that was left. The one right in front of me. Where it leads, I don't know. But I'm gonna find out...

I opened the door and stepped through and there was nowhere to go but up the stairway to my right. I trekked up the stairs and past more ruined halls and debris on either side of me. Going forward was the only path. I cautiously made my way through the doorway and – WHOOSH. A flash of…something appeared before me. It was the buildings interior but it was intact. Whole. Like before the war itself. The walls and floor were clean, the computers quietly hummed, people silently going about their business at their cubicles. There was a man…staring at me, though. Just staring. Didn't move, didn't speak. Just stared. And as fast as this…vision washed over me it was gone. I was back in reality. Was that…the past? Did I just witness a fragment from before all the war and bloodshed? How is that possible…

I pinched the bridge of my nose and focused myself, whatever that was whether a vision a dream or whatever. I just couldn't deal with it right now. When my thoughts had straightened out I saw an eerie glow moving away from me. It was a Glowing One! The single most dangerous kind of Ghoul you will EVER run across. They're vicious, hardy, and what's worse, they can discharge a field of radiation at will. It doesn't get worse then a Glowing One. But…why was it moving away from me? While I was caught in that vision did it just watch me? By all accounts I should be dead several times over… Just what the hell is going on here? Steeling myself I brought up my laser pistol and aimed for the legs of the glowing zombie. Taking out the legs is always the best bet when faced with a Glowing One. I fired and hit cleanly; the Glowing One's leg turned to ash instantly and it fell to the ground howling in agony. I rushed towards it and fired bolt after bolt of energy into its head. Eventually it stopped twitching and screaming and finally died.

Now that I was in the room proper I examined the place. This particular room was a wreck. Not like any of the other rooms were in pristine states but this place…got hit hard. To the right part of the ceiling had collapsed and made a make shift ramp to the next floor and on the far left there was another stairwell leading up. I decided to poke around a little here first, though. Maybe there'd be something worth while. I found a still functioning computer terminal on a nearby desk along with yet another holotape from Jaime. This makes eight so far. I'll see what it has to say then I'll work on the computer.

'God help me. I found Dad today… I didn't think it was him, but… the face. The zombies didn't touch him. I think he was becoming like them. Didn't know it was him till I found the old book near him. No more killing. I just need to go. Can't forget the book. All I have left of him. It's warm against the stone. I'll just rest awhile…'

Just what is this book? To die for a book… And what's this about a stone? And Jaime's voice near the end of the tape…it sounded wrong. Like a Ghouls… I sighed heavily and put the holotape away and began to hack into the computer. It cracked easy enough, certainly some old files on here, some dating back to 2077. Some others are old but fairly recent. They're dated from 2134. I'll read the ones from '77 first. The first file talked about some "acoustic borer" or something, must be used for excavation. The other two files were just some warning mixed in with broken down code. Nothing of value here. I moved on to the '34 files. Now these were interesting. To say the least…

_'//unintelligible// What the hell was that? Doesn't matter, doesn't matter. //deep breathing// Where is it? Where… Where //impact sound// //paper crumple// there, there //paper crumple// safe and sound. Jesus, they bled so much, but I kept it clean. Clean, clean clean //unintelligible// //unintelligible// Shit, more. Got to move. Got to keep it safe.'_

This whole damn building just keeps getting stranger and stranger. And that was just the first file. Now on to the next.

_'//deep breathing// My skin… my skin. Barely any left. One of them now, but they know I still ha__ve__ it. Stay back! Back, you! //deep breathing// That's close enough. //door// You, and you, too. Over there…. yes, yes. One of us, one of us. __Ug__-__Qualtoth__ is returned //unintelligible//'_

Ug-Qualtoth? I don't even want to know what that is… That bad feeling I got from this place is just getting worse. One file left.

_'//liquid dripping// __Ug__-__Qualtoth__ //unintelligible// __Ug__-__Qualtoth__. I came, I came. Back this time, deep temple //unintelligible// screaming, twisting //unintelligible// //impact sound// No light, no flesh //unintelligible// deep temple born deep temple died. __Ug__-__Qualtoth__ again, //unintelligible// returned, returned //unintelligible//retribution'_

This place…it's evil. Truly evil. I can feel it. Something fucked up happened here. I've seen fucked up things before. Hell, I've been part of fucked up things before. But this place is making my stomach turn. I should just run. Run and never, EVER, look back. If I stay…chances are I'll be dead soon enough. Killed by the Ghouls or…by whatever else might be lurking deeper in the bowels of this damned place. But…I can't run. Not now. I have to know just what happened here now. My mind will never be at ease until I do. So even though I probably won't live to see tomorrow. I'm going for it. I'll dig down to the very rotten core of this place and when I get there… I'll cut it out.

I got up from the computer and readied myself for whatever else may be here. I took the make-shift ramp up to the next floor and skulked around in the shadows. Sure enough more Feral Ghouls were roaming the upper halls. They all were turned to ash as I pushed onwards. As I made may way though the upper floor the only path not blocked of with rubble lead to an empty hallway with massive sections of the right wall missing. I could hear numerous Ghouls down below hissing and gurgling. There were at least 7 of them. Luckily, I was one floor higher and there didn't seem to be any way for them to get up to me. I picked them off with ease, as they roared and bellowed in helplessness madly jumping and clawing at me in vain. When the lot had been dealt with I dropped down below and explored the area, finding a single door in the process. Like the door before that lead me here, I don't know where this one leads. I have a guess though. Deeper into Hell.

As soon as I walked into the next room I was greeted with a sight, a gigantic hole in the center of the room. It continued down I don't even know how deep. A bomb or something must have been the cause since not only was there the hole below but a hole above that continued till I could actually see the sky itself. I took a few steps forward, hoping the floor wouldn't give and found the ninth of Jaime's holotapes resting on a desk. I knew nothing good was going to be on this tape, but maybe even in Jaime's growing madness he could offer some clues.

_'Sharp knife. Sharp knife to send him to deep temple. Flay and say my words. Abdul comes again, on the feast of the weaker. Feast for the Deep Temple. Born again, here. Alhazzarad G'yeth G'yeth.'_

I sighed. That wasn't what I was hoping for. Jaime was one of them now. Fully. Poor, stupid bastard. I packed the tape away and peered down the monstrous opening. I couldn't even clearly make out the bottom. But I could hear more Feral Ghouls down there gnashing their teeth and scuffling about. With a deep breath I slowly jumped from one floor down to the next till I could finally see the ground floor and the Ghouls. Every single one was killed and reduced to a fine ash. With them gone I hopped to the floor below and found the only pathway. It was a service tunnel. I snuck through the claustrophobic tunnels as the sound of hissing steam and grinding machines filled my ears. On and on the service tunnel continued till I reached to end of it, where I door stood.

I pushed it open and found myself in a cavern, no doubt deep underground. I wound my way through the cave till it lead to a large clearing. There I saw Ghouls, five or six, gathered in a circle around this…thing. I couldn't see it very clearly by but I could hear one of them chanting. I recognized that voice…Jaime. It was Jaime! Dressed in nothing but dirty white boxers and t-shirt he chanted some bizarre words and fell to his knees in front of the object. I slowly inched my way closer to the group of zombies as the chanted more and more and threw up their hands in reverence to the object. I must have made some noise or didn't pay close enough attention because one of the chanting zombies abruptly stopped and looked dead at me. I raised its bony, rotting finger and howled in a rage. The zombies bum rushed me at once. I swore loudly and brought out my assault rifle. I pulled the trigger and didn't let go. The bullets tore threw their rotting bodies and sent putrid blood everywhere. I yelled and screamed curses as the guns blast echoed in the chamber. Finally it stopped. The clip ran dry and the Ghouls lied in a bloody, writhing, dying mess at my feet. All but one.

Still on his knees in front of the object was Jaime, silently muttering more weird words. I put the assault rifle away and pulled out my laser pistol. I aimed at the back of his head but before I pulled the trigger, he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Born again… Born again… BORN AGAIN IN DEEP TEMPLE!!!"

He pulled a knife out from behind his back and slit his own throat. Crimson blood sprayed from the wound and splashed across the object. He gurgled some more words I didn't understand and fell to the ground dead. I holstered the laser pistol and walked towards his body. I kicked his body over to make sure he was really dead. He was. I glanced up at the object he was in front of. It was an obelisk shaped statue, a dull emerald green in color and standing at least more then 10 feet tall. There was a man near the top seeming to come out of the statue itself while vines looked to hold him back. I circled to the back and saw five human skulls had been carved going up the object. I ran my hand across it and was surprised when it felt warm and wet. Then I could hear something… a deep ragged breathing started to come from every direction. And it grew louder and louder with each passing second, till it became absolutely deafening. I covered my ears and started to leave when the ground under my feet shook and groaned. I fumbled forward when I felt something grab my leg. I looked down and saw the supposedly dead Jaime hold me back. He looked up at me and smiled insanely. He spoke again one last time.

"Ug-Qualtoth…is…born…AGAIN!"

His arm went limp again and pulled my leg from his grasp. The entire place was now shaking violently and rumbling terribly. I could barely keep my balance. As I started to run up a set of stairs I looked back at the statue once. Just once. I wish I never did. Something…I don't know what, ripped the ground open and pulled itself from god-knows-where. My lips trembled in genuine fear and my voice got stuck in my throat. My eyes went wide, unable to comprehend what this thing was. I can't describe it. I just can't. Just imagine… just imagine everything from your nightmares fusing into one single entity. Imagine every vile, disgusting, horrible, evil feeling in the world and you'd know what it would have felt like being in the same place as it. I shakily back-peddled away from it and tried not to make a sound. A vain attempt. It turned its terrible gave towards me and very slowly came closer. I didn't give it the chance. I ran faster then I have ever run before. I don't know how I ran that fast but I did. As I sped through the caves then the service tunnel I didn't look back again, but I knew… I knew it was chasing me. Hunting me…

None of the weapons I had would hurt this thing. None at all. What could? I just kept running. When I reached the massive hole again I quickly jumped and pulled myself up each floor. I ran and ran and ran and ran. I ran until I had made it all the way back to the first floor. I panted and rested against a nearby door frame. I couldn't hear it anymore, but it be stupid to get hopeful now. I started to jog towards the entrance and freedom from this awful place when the whole building trembled and shook. I could hear metal and wood splinter and shattered beneath me and I knew that that thing was ripping its way towards the surface and me. I sprinted for the door and rammed my way through it. Outside again. Free again. But not for long, just after I escaped from the place that god-awful creature followed. The building's front exploded into a storm of debris. The creature screamed towards the sky and then turned its attention back to me.

It launched forward snapping its massive, rank jaws at me, missing by mere inches. It seemed most of its bulk was still inside the building itself. Lucky for me. Or maybe not. No telling how long it would hold. I sprang to me feet and got as far away from it as I could. I drew my laser pistol and peppered it with shots. It screamed in pain and think, mucous like goo seeped from the wounds. I would never have enough ammo for this. There must be something… The creature knocked me from my thoughts. Literally. It hit me hard across the face with a tentacle and sent me careening across the parking lot. I shook my aching head and spat blood. It looked back at it and saw that was getting closer and closer to breaking the building's confines completely. I quickly looked around fro something, anything that could help. Then it hit me. The cars. The old broken down cars fusion drives! Those things are like mini-nukes! I got back to my feet and dashed towards the nearest car. I found the fusion drive in the back and hastily started to unhook it from the chassis. The creature saw me and launched another tentacle at me. It constricted around my leg and tried to jerk me away from the heap. I held tight to the car while trying to uncouple the fusion drive, but I could feel myself losing my grip. I hurried as fast as I could and freed the drive from the car just as the creature pulled its hardest. So as I skidded across the cement, fusion drive in both hands, I gritted my teeth and prepared my self.

The creature lifted me into the sky and started to lower me towards its gaping maw of a mouth. I hefted up the fusion drive and with all my might tossed it. As it sailed into the creature's mouth I drew my pistol again and aimed carefully, just as it disappeared into its throat I fired wildly. I heard a metallic ping and I knew I hit it clearly. I fired up at the tentacle and forced it to drop me. I fell hard to the pavement below, but I didn't care. I pushed myself up and booked it as fast as I could. I took cover behind car and watched as the creature erupted into a brilliant flash of fire and smoke. The following explosion knocked me on my ass, but I just laughed. I looked up at the fading mushroom cloud with a big smile on my face. The creature's body, well what was left, started to disintegrate into powder and was scattered into the wastelands by the winds. I hefted myself up, dusted myself off, and headed back to Megaton for some much deserved sleep and booze. No one will ever believe this one…

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And that's my story. I dunno if you believe me or not. Hell, I probably wouldn't if it didn't happen to me personally. But I don't really care if you do or don't. Your call. But just know…if you ever find yourself in the southwest wasteland, not a care in the world, and you stumble across an old office building…if you start to hear deep breathing… Run. Run and don't ever, EVER, look back...


End file.
